“Headhunter” by Krokus

Spitfire Records became one of my favorite of the independent record labels when they started to remaster and reissue some classic Heavy Metal albums. Before this was done most of them were only available on vinyl and hardly ever made it to CD. Younger readers might not recall those big black disks in the cardboard but any Traditional or “Old School” genre fans most certainly do. One of these releases was the 1986 classic by Krokus entitled “Headhunter”. This was one of my top ten records at the time and there are a number of reasons why. This was a powerhouse of Heavy Metal rock and roll and should be a part of any collection should you seek a sampling of Krokus. This release contains some of their signature material and a number of these tunes are still performed in concert today. I remember when I first heard “Headhunter” begin; the solid drumming of Steve Pace not only floored me but made me realize that I had to add a second kick drum to my drum set. On some releases Krokus had a lot of AC/DC flavor to them and this is most likely due to some of the similarities in Marc Storace’s voice. However, Marc also possessed a greater range and this was evident on classics like “Screaming In The Night”. This was a power ballad done right and soon would be a tune that many bands would mirror their own against.

Fernando Von Arb was a great guitarist for this band with tasty and skillful licks. He was also diverse in overall style and this is showcased on tracks like “Eat The Rich” & “Stayed Awake All Night”. Bass and Rhythm guitars were handled by Chris VonRohr and Mark Kohler. The re-issue does not have any added tracks or lyrics but it is still a great way to replace the long warped and scratchy vinyl. Find yourself a copy and remember what Hard Rock was like almost two decades ago.